Boat and trailer combination having hoisting means for inverting the boat as it is loaded and unloaded

ABSTRACT

A boat and trailer combination in which a hoisting attachment is provided for pivoting the boat either end-over-end or sideways about detachable hinges, by which the boat is connected to the trailer, from an inverted position on the trailer to an upright position beside the trailer. The hoisting attachment includes a mast which provides an elevated position from which to lift the boat about the hinges and a winch which is desirably designed so that the cable can be paid out only by reversing the operating input to the winch, as by reversing the direction in which the handcrank is rotated. By locating the mast near the axis of the hinges, rotation of the crank on the winch in one direction raises the boat up to the mast, and then after the boat swings past the mast, the crank on the winch is reversed so that the boat is gently lowered from the mast to a position adjacent the trailer or onto the trailer, depending on whether the boat is being unloaded or loaded.

United States Patent 1 [72] Inventor Edward F. Heinig North Haven, Conn.21] Appl. No. 17,396 [22] Filed Mar. 9, 1970 [45] Patented Aug. 24, 1971[73] Assignee 0. F. Mossberg & Sons, Incorporated North Haven, Conn.

[54] BOAT AND TRAILER COMBINATION HAVING HOISTING MEANS FOR INVERTINGTHE BOAT AS IT IS LOADED AND UNLOADED l 1 Claims, 9 Drawing Figs. 52 US.Cl 214/75, 214/lA,214/1Q,214/450 [51] Int. Cl 1360p l/44 [50] FieldofSearch 214/75, 450, 85.5;212/3,8

[5 6 References Cited UNITED STATES PATENTS 3,435,970 4/1969 Sutton214/450 3,512,655 5/1970 Kuhtz 212/3 Primary Examiner-Gerald M. ForlenzaAssistant Examiner-Lawrence J. Oresky Attorneys-Steward & Steward,Merrill F. Steward, Donald T.

Steward and Walter D. Hunter ABSTRACT: A boat and trailer combination inwhich a hoisting attachment is provided for pivoting the boat eitherendover-end or sideways about detachable hinges, by which the boat isconnected to the trailer, from an inverted position on the trailer to anupright position beside the trailer. The hoisting attachment includes amast which provides an elevated position from which to lift the boatabout the hinges and a winch which is desirably designed so that thecable can be paid out only by reversing the operating input to thewinch, as by reversing the direction in which the handcrank is rotated.By locating the mast near the axis of the hinges, rotation of the crankon the winch in one direction raises the boat up to the mast, and thenafter the boat swings past the mast, the crank on the winch is reversedso that the boat is gently lowered from the mast to a position adjacentthe trailer or onto the trailer, depending on whether the boat is beingunloaded or loaded.

PATENTEU M1824 I971 SHEET 1 BF 3 INVENTOR. EDWARD F Hf/NIG fluATTORNEYS.

PATENTED AUB24I97I 3. 601, 269

SHEET 2 OF 3 FIG-3 PATENIED AUG24 pan SHEEI 3 UF 3 BACKGROUND OF THEINVENTION The invention relates to boat camp trailers, and it relatesmore particularly to means for loading and unloading a boat onto and offa trailer by which it is transported form one place to another.

Many sportsmen and campers carry a small boat on a trailer that is drawnbehind an automobile or light truck so that when they reach theirdestination they can use the boat for fishing, duck hunting or boatingin general. If the boat is large enough to be fairly stable in thewater, it is usually too heavy for one person to launch from thetrailer. This is especially true in areas where there are no launchingramps or beaches suitable for backing the trailer into the water so thatthe boat can be floated off the trailer in'the usual manner. Moreover,if the trailer is equipped to carry camping equipment, such as tents,mattresses and cooking utensils, it can not be submerged far enough intothe water to float the boat, unless such equipment is first removed fromthe trailer.

The purpose of the present invention is to provide a convenient systemfor loading and unloading a boat onto and off a trailer, so that it canbe done entirely by one person without straining himself and withoutsubmerging the trailer in the water.

One approach to this problem is shown in the patent to Gorman U.S. Pat.No. 3,348,874, in which a boat is carried on a trailer upside down andis hinged along the top edge of its transom to the rear of the trailer.In order to unload the boat, the bow is lifted so that the boat ispivoted end-over-end about the hinges at the stern and deposited in thewater or on the beach in back of the trailer. A winch is mounted in anelevated position on the tongue of the trailer in front of the boat withthe winch cable fastened to the bow of the boat. In unloading the boat,the bow must be manually lifted to a vertical position without theassistance of the winch. Once the boat is vertical, tension is taken onthe winch cable, so that as the boat is lowered to the rear of thetrailer, the winch is used to let it down. The primary advantage ofpivoting the boat end-overend into the water is that the boat can bedeposited directly in the water or at the waters edge without backingthe trailer into the water. Furthermore, it is not necessary to drag theboat on the shore to or from the water, so that the boat can be launchedfrom almost any type ofshore, including rocky ones.

The present invention incorporates a system that is similar to thatdisclosed in the Gorman patent in that the boat is carried on thetrailer in an inverted position and is hinged thereto in such a mannerthat it is turned over as it is unloaded and deposited right side up onthe ground or in the water. However, as will become more apparenthereinafter, the present invention provides substantial improvements andadvantages over the Gorman boat camp trailer. One of the more importantadvantages is that it does not require the person launching the boat tolift it by hand into the vertical position in order to unload, or lowerit by hand from the vertical position onto the platform of the trailerwhen it is being loaded.

Furthermore, in boat camp trailers of the present invention,

' the pull of the winch cable is always in a direction that providesadequate leverage to hold the weight of the boat without undue strain onthe rigging and also to maintain complete control of the boat solely bymeans of the winch, which does almost all the work in lifting the boat,either when unloading it or in loading it onto the trailer. Likewise,the boat is positively lowered by means of the winch from its verticalposition to the platform on which it rests on the trailer duringloading, as well as to the ground when unloading, thereby safeguardingagainst the boat accidentally dropping from its elevated position andpossibly injuring someone who might be in its way. Another advantage ofthe invention over the Gorman arrangement is that it can be employed topivot 21 boat to one side of the trailer, instead of end-over-end, byhinging the boat along one gunwale to the side of the trailer.

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION The foregoing improvements and advantages areattained by locating a hoisting mast near the pivot axis about which theboat is hinged tothe trailer but clear of the boat in the direction ofsaid axis, so that the mast does not interfere with the boat as it isbeing turned over. The hoisting line or winch cable is connected to theboat at a convenient distance from the pivot axis in order to providethe desired leverage in lifting the boat about said axis. Rollers orother suitable guide means, over which the hoisting line is trained, aremounted on the mast substantially vertically above the pivot axis at adistance that is approximately equal to the distance from said axis tothe point at which the hoisting line is connected to the boat, such thatsaid'point of connection passes near the rollers on the mast as thecenter of gravity of the boat passes the vertical plane through thepivot axis. Consequently, as the boat reaches the vertical position andstarts to swing down, the winch cable remains taught and prevents theboat from flopping from one side to the vertical position to the other.

DESCRIPTION OF PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS In the drawings,

FIG. 1 is a side elevational view of a boat camp trailer embodying theinvention with the boat loaded on the trailer ready to travel;

FIG. 2 is a more or less diagrammatic perspective view of the same,showing how the boat is unloaded;

FIG. 3 is a side elevational view similar to FIG. 1, but on a largerscale and showing the boat in various positions as it is being loadedonto, or unloaded from, the trailer;

FIG. 4 is a perspective view as seen from the left rear of the trailerillustrating how the trailer provides a platform for a tent which iscollapsed and stored beneath the boat when travelling;

FIG. 5 is a detailed perspective view ofa hinge assembly for connectingthe boat to the trailer;

FIG. 6 is a side elevational view of the hinge assembly shown in FIG. 5but on a larger scale, portions being broken away and shown in section;

FIG. 7 is an enlarged detail cross-sectional view of the nested mastassembly taken on the line 7-7 of FIG. 1;

FIG. 8 is an enlarged detail plan view of the top of the hoisting mast;and

FIG. 9 is a more or less diagrammatic perspective view similar to FIG.2, but illustrating another embodiment of the invention in which theboat is loaded and unloaded over the side of the trailer in accordancewith the invention.

The trailer-and-tent arrangement employed in connection with the presentinvention is similar to that shown in the hereinabove-mentioned GormanU.S. Pat. No. 3,348,874, a horizontal, rectangular frame portion 10 ofthe trailer being suspended on wheels 12 in the usual manner and havinga tongue [4 extending forward from the frame 10 with a hitch I6 fastenedsecurely at the front end of the tongue for attaching the trailer to theautomobile or truck which is to haul it. A boat 20 is transported upsidedown on a generally horizontal platform 22, which is shaped to coincidewith and fit the inverted upper edges or gunwales of the boat, so thatthe boat acts as a cover for equipment that is also carried on thetrailer. Platform 22 is rigidly mounted on the upper side of the frame10, and a caster wheel 24 is provided on the lower end of a jack post 26on the tongue 14 of the trailer just in front of the bow of boat 20 forsupporting the tongue when the trailer is not connected to the car.

Platform 22 is constructed so that it provides a suitable flooring for atent 28 (shown erected in FIG. 4 and collapsed in I-I(i. 3), as well asstorage space for other camping equip ment and supplies when on theroad. Folding or sliding lloor extensions 30 (NOS. 3 and 4) pulloutwardly from both sides of the platform 22 to provide raised siderooms for double bunks on both sides of the main living area of thetent. A suitable, collapsible framework 32 of the telescoping-rod typeis employed to hold the tent erect as shown in FIG. 4 after theextensions 30 have been spread outwardly of the platform 22.

Adjustable stabilizing legs 34 are located under the four corners of theplatform 22 for levelling the body f the trailer and making it solidwith the ground. Legs 34 are conventional in design and fold up underthe platform while traveling. As best seen in FIG. 4, the extensions 30are supported by diagonal braces 36, each of which is fastened at oneend to an outer corner of an extension 30 and at its other end to theadjacent stabilizing leg 34.

When the boat camp trailer of the present invention is being transportedfrom one place to another, the boat is carried bottom up with the fulllength of its gunwales resting on the peripheral portion of platform 22,thereby providing a waterproof cover and enclosure for the tent andcamping equipment stored under it. The boat is fastened to the trailerat the stern by a pair of detachable hinge assemblies 40 (more fullydescribed hereinafter), one-half of each hinge assembly 40 being mountedon the upper edge of the transom 41 adjacent the side of the boat. Atiedown cable 42 at the bow has a snap fastener 44 for connecting oneend to an eyebolt 46 on the bow of the boat, from which it is passedunder a guide 50 mounted on the tongue 14 between the jack post 26 andthe bow of the boat to a hook 48 that fits into the open upper end ofjack post 26, which is desirably a hollow section of steel pipe. Inorder to lift the caster wheel 24 off the ground after the trailer hasbeen hitched to the car, the jack post 26 is jacked upward, which inturn pulls the tiedown cable 42 tight, thereby securely anchoring thebow ofthe boat to the trailer.

Referring now more particularly to FIG. 5, each of the hinge assemblies40 has a pair of U-shaped brackets 52,52 which fit over, and are boltedto, the upper edge of the transom 41 so that they straddle a cutout 54therein. A hinge pin 56 which is rigidly fastened to the web portions ofboth brackets 52,52 spans the cutout 54 in he upper edge of the boattransom 41. A hook-shaped, hinge plate 58 is bolted to the rear edge ofthe platform 22 of the trailer with its hook portion 60 located to therear of platform 22 and opening upwardly in order to receive the hingepin 56 on the boat.

A locking tongue 62 with a downwardly bent end 64 fits lengthwise on topof the hinge plate 58 with its end 64 disposed over the opening of thehook 60 in order to prevent the hinge pin 56 from slipping out of thehook, thereby locking the two hinge parts together so that they cannotaccidentally separate while while the boat is being loaded or unloaded.An elongated cover plate 66, which is U-shaped in cross section, fitsover the locking tongue 62 with its side flanges 68,68 resting againstthe upper side of hinge plate 58 so that locking tongue 62 is freelyslidable longitudinally within cover plate 66 from a locking position,in which its end 64 blocks the opening of the hook 60, to a retractedposition, in which said end 64 is clear of the hook opening so that thehinge pin 56 can move into or out of the hook.

Hinge plate 58 and cover plate 66 are permanently bolted to the platform22 of the trailer by means of bolts 70,70 which extend through elongatedslots 72,72 in locking tongue 62 permitting it to slide freely betweenits locking and retracted positions. If desired, suitable means may beprovided for preventing the locking tongue 62 from sliding out of itslocking position so that the hinges cannot be accidentally disconnectedwhen the trailer is on the road. For example, a thumbscrew 74 may bethreaded through the cover plate 66 into a positioning recess 76 in theupper side of tongue 62. As shown in FIG. 6, a light compression spring78 may also be placed in one of the slots 72 in locking tongue 62 sothat it urges the locking tongue toward its locking position.

The hoisting means for lifting the bow of boat 20 and swinging it bodilyabout the hinges 40 includes a mast 80 mounted near the pivot axis ofthe hinges, which in this instance are located at the rear end of theboat and trailer so that the pivot axis is disposed transversely of theboat. Mast is also mounted to one side of the boat 20 in order to beclear of the boat as it is swung end-over-end about its hinges 40. Thelower end of mast 80 is pivoted to the frame 10 of the trailer at A sothat it can be pivoted from its operative position shown in FIG. 3, inwhich it is substantially vertical, to a storage position along one sideof the boat and trailer as shown in FIG. 1. The mast 80 is held in itsupright position by a diagonal brace or strut 82 fastened at its upperend to the mast at a point B near the top of mast 80. The other end ofstrut 82 is fastened to frame 10 of the trailer at a point Csufficiently forward of the mast to provide good support.

In order to lower the mast without completely disconnecting strut 82,the latter is constructed so that it can buckle intermediate its ends,permitting the mast assembly to collapse to one side. To this end, strut82 consists of a short upper section 83 and a long lower section 84, theadjoining ends of which overlap when the mast is in its operativeposition and are fastened together at two points by a nonremovable pivotpin at a point D and by a removable retaining pin 86. As long as theretaining pin 86 is in place holding the two sections 83 and 84 inalignment with each other, the mast is held rigidly in a verticalposition for raising and lowering the boat 20. When it is desired tolower the mast to its storage position, pin 86 is removed and strut 82buckled outwardly at its pivot point D as indicated by the phantom lineshowing in FIG. 3. It is understood of course that the upper and lowerends of strut 82 are pivoted to the mast and trailer, respectively, atthe points B and C.

In order to permit the mast 80 to be erected and lowered so that the twosections of strut 82 are aligned when the mast is vertical and foldedtogether when the mast is stored, the pivot point D on strut 82 must belocated such that when the mast is in either its storage or operativepositions, the distance from A to B plus the distance from B to D issubstantially equal to the distance from A to C plus the distance from Cto D. It will be noted that in order for the mast 80 to liesubstantially horizontally in its storage position, as shown in fulllines in FIG. 1 and in broken lines in FIG. 3, the pivot point C for thesupporting strut is located somewhat below the level of the pivot pointA for the mast so that when the mast assembly is collapsed, the mastlies on top of the lower section 84 of the strut. In this instance allthree parts of the mast assembly, namely the mast 80, upper strutsection 83 and lower strut section 84, are made of suitable lengths ofU-shaped metal channel. Mast 80 and lower section 84 of the supportingstrut have the same crosssectional dimensions with their open sidesfacing each other. The upper section 83 of supporting strut 82 issmaller in cross section, so that it fits completely within the sideflanges of the channels of mast 80 and lower strut section 84.Consequently, when the mast assembly is collapsed to its storageposition as shown in FIG. 3, the upper section 83 nests within thefacing open channels of the mast and lower strut section 84 (FIG. 7).The mast assembly accordingly folds or collapses into a small space andis completely out of the way when not in use.

An apertured bracket 88 (FIGS. 3 and 7) is provided on the frame 10 ofthe trailer near the outer end of strut section 84 in its collapsedposition for securing the mast assembly in place when stored. The lowerstrut section 84 is provided with openings 89,89 through both flangeswhich align with the opening in bracket 88 when the mast assembly iscollapsed as shown in FIGS. 1 and 7. Since the retaining pin 86 must beremoved in order to lower the mast, it is also available for locking theassembly in its storage position. To this end, retaining pin 86 isinserted through bracket 88 and the openings 89,89 in lower strutsection 84. In order to prevent pin 86 from becoming accidentallydisengaged, it is provided with a lateral projection or lug 85 whichfits through the opening in bracket 88 and through openings, 89,89 instrut section 84, all of which are keyholed shaped for insertion ofretaining pin 86 when it is rotated for proper alignment of lug 85.After pin 86 is inserted through bracket 88 and strut section 84 asshown in FIG. 7, it is rotated a few degrees so that it cannot bewithdrawn. In like manner, the openings through which pin 86 is insertedfor locking the two strut sections 83 and 84 in the operative positionof the mast assembly are also keyhole shaped in order to permit the lug85 to be inserted through them and locked in place. Retaining pin 86 hasa laterally bent handle 87 at its outer end for facilitating itsinsertion and removal in erecting and storing the mast.

A winch 90 is mounted on mast 80 at a convenient height above the groundfor manual operation by the person loading or unloading the boat. Winch90 has a handcrank 92 and a cable 94 that travels vertically upwardwithin the channel of mast 80 and between a pair of horizontallydisposed guide rollers 96,98 (FIG. 8) rotatably mounted within theflanges of the channel at the top of mast 80. Depending on which side ofthe mast the boat is located at any particular time, the cable 94 willtravel over one or the other or rollers 96,98 to the boat 20. The freeend of cable 94 is provided with a snap fastener or locking hook of somesort, which is removably attached to an eyebolt or ring cleat 100mounted on the side of the boat toward the front. The most desirablelocation for the eyebolt 100 depends on the height of the guide rollers96,98 above the axis of the hinges 40 about which the boat is swung andthe angle which the winch cable 94 makes with the boat when it is in ahorizontal position either in its inverted position on the trailer or inits unloaded position to the rear of the trailer. The height of mast 80and guide rollers'96,98, on the other hand, depends on the length andweight of the boat, while the angle between the cable and the horizontalboat should be selected so as to require as little force as possible tolift the boat when it is in a horizontal position. However, as willbecome more apparent hereinafter the most suitable arrangement is tomake the mast about the same height as the distance from the hinges 40to the point at which the winch cable is attached to the boat.

The winch 90 is desirably of the type that has a worm gear mechanismwhich prevents the winch reel from being reversed by the weight of theboat on the cable 94 when the handcrank 92 is released, yet permits thecable to be paid out gently on reversing the direction in whichhandcrank 92 is rotated. Winch 90 is mounted on the back side of mast 80such that the reel (not shown) on which the cable 94 is wound projectsthrough an opening in the web portion of the channel of the mast,permitting the reel to pay out the cable freely on the inside of thechannel.

In unloading the boat while the trailer is still attached to the car, itis only necessary to release the bow of the boat from the trailer bylowering the jack post 26 enough to loosen the cable 42 so that it canbe detached from the eyebolt 46, set up the mast 80 and swing the boatend-over-end to the rear of the trailer by means of the winch 90.Raising the mast 80 is done quickly by simply removing locking pin 86from the bracket 88 so that the mast assembly is free to be raised, asindicated by the broken line showing in FIG. 3, to its operativeposition as shown in full lines. A handle 102 is provided on mast 80above winch 90 in order to facilitate lifting it into a verticalposition where the strut sections 83 and 84 of the supporting strut 82align with each other. The locking pin 86 is then inserted through theholes in the sections 83 and 84 above the fixed pivot pin at D so thatthe strut 82 and mast 80 are locked in place. The end of the winch cable94 is then attached to the eyebolt 100 on the boat and tension taken onit by rotating the handcrank 92 on winch 90 in the proper direction inorder to reel in the cable 94 and to lift the boat upward about itsstern to the full-line position shown in FIG. 3.

In order to maintain complete control of the boat at all times, theguide rollers 96 and 98, over which the winch cable 94 is trained,should be located at a height on mast 80 which is only slightly lessthan the height reached by the eyebolt 100 as the boat approaches andpasses the mast. As the boat continues to be hoisted off the platform 22of the trailer and into a vertical position, more and more of the weightof the boat is transferred from the winch cable to the hinges 40 at thestern of the boat. As the center of gravity of the boat passes thevertical plane through the axis of hinges 40, there is little or notension on the winch cable, thereby allowing the cable to shift from theguide roller 98, over which it is initially trained as the best is beinglifted upward off the platform 22, to its companion roller 96. Thetransfer of the winch cable 94 from one guide roller to the other isenhanced by positioning the eyebolt 100 so that it is just above theupper end of mast 80. The cable then simply shifts from one roller tothe other with a minimum of movement of the boat as it crosses deadcenter. Loss of tension on the cable 94 is therefore limited to theinstant that the cable shifts between the rollers, and movement of theboat is therefore kept closely under the control of the winch 90. It

.will be appreciated, however, that even if the eyebolt 100 were to passsome distance above or below the point at which cable 94 emerges frommast 80, the boat can be easily moved form one side of mast to the otherwith one hand despite its weight. Furthermore, various guide means forthe winch cable can be employed other than the guide rollers 96 and 98which, however, have the great advantage of simplicity and reliability.

Continued pivotal movement of the boat in a counterclockwise directionas viewed in FIG. 3 causes some of the weight of the boat to be takenagain by cable 94 which, however, is not free to run out because of theworm gear design of winch 90. On reversing the direction of rotation ofhandcrank 92 on the winch 90, cable 94 may be paid out at the desiredrate, so that the boat can be lowered to the rear of the trailer asillustrated in FIG. 2. As may be seen in FIG. 8, the web of the channelof mast 80 is notched at 104 at the top of the mast in order to provideclearance for cable 94 between roller 96 and the boat as it reaches theground. With the boat upright and extending to the rear of the trailer,it is detached from the trailer by moving the locking tongue 62 on eachof the hinges 40 to its retracted position so that the hinge pin 56 canbe lifted out of the hook portion 60 of the hinge plate 58. Loading theboat onto the trailer is accomplished as readily as unloading, by simplyreversing the procedure just described.

It will be apparent from the foregoing that the boat is completely undercontrol all the time it is being swung onto or off the trailer. Due tothe fact that the winch cannot be reversed except by manually reversingthe handcrank 92, movement of the boat can be stopped at any point inthe are through which it swings, and the boat is readily eased onto theground or back onto the trailer. Furthermore, there is no danger of theboat suddenly dropping from an elevated position with the possibility ofhurting someone who might be in the way or of damaging the boat. Inaddition, loading and unloading is easily accomplished by just oneperson who can set up the hoist and then manipulated the boat entirelyby means of the winch with no assistance from anyone.

It will also be noted that the hinges 40 are positioned on the trailerat about the same height above the ground as the top of the transom ofthe boat so that the boat can be easily connected to the trailer bymeans of the hinges. This can be done while the boat is still in thewater or while partially beached stern first. Again one person byhimself can attached the boat to the trailer by connecting ordisconnecting the hinges one at a time. Ifit is desired to load the boatonto the trailer after the trailer has been unhitched from the car, thestabilizing legs 34 on the trailer are first lowered before the boat isconnected to the trailer by means of hinges 40. The heat can then beloaded onto the trailer in the manner hereinbefore described.

The invention is also applicable to loading and unloading a boatsideways onto and off of a trailer. Thus, as illustrated more or lessdiagrammatically in FIG. 9, a pair of spaced hinges 40 may be disposedalong one side of the trailer 10 and along the gunwale at one side ofboat 20', which is carried as before in an inverted position on thetrailer. A demountable mast 80' is provided similar to that shown inconnection with the embodiment of the invention shown in FIG. 3 but ismounted on the trailer 10 so that it is rearward of the stern of theboat with its collapsible supporting strut 82 extending transversely ofthe trailer in back of the boat. The winch cable 94' is attached to theopposite side of the boat transom from mast 80, and the winch 90' isoperated in order to swing the boat sideways about the hinges 40. Sincethe hoisting mast 80 is mounted on or near the axis of hinges 40,lifting and lowering of the boat is done entirely by the winch 90' asbefore. In this case, it is again desirable to make the height of themast about equal to the distance between the hinge axis and the point ofattachment of cable 94 to the boat.

What is claimed is:

1. A boat and trailer combination in which the boat is carried by thetrailer in an inverted position with the boat detachably hinged to thetrailer adjacent one of its longitudinal and transverse extremities withthe pivot axis about which the boat is hinged disposed adjacent aperipheral portion of the boat and parallel to one of its longitudinaland transverse axes, such that the boat can be swung throughsubstantially 180 between its inverted position on the trailer and anunloaded position adjacent the trailer,

hoisting means for swinging the boat about said pivot axis for loadingthe boat onto and unloading it from said trailer, said hoisting meanscomprising in combination,

a mast mountable near said pivot axis and clear of the boat in thedirection of said pivot axis,

a winch having a hoisting line supported by said mast for swinging theboat about said pivot axis, fastening means for attaching said hoistingline to said boat at a predetermined distance from said pivot axis, and

guide means on said mast over which said hoisting line is trained as itpasses from said winch to said fastening means on the boat, said guidemeans being located on said mast a predetermined distance above saidpivot axis,

the distances of said fastening means and said guide means from saidpivot axis being selected such that adequate leverage is provided forlifting and lowering the boat about said pivot axis.

2. The combination defined in claim 1, wherein said fastening means andsaid guide means are spaced at substantially equal distances from saidpivot axis so that as the boat is pivoted from a horizontal position toa vertical position, said fastening means on the boat passes near saidguide means on said mast.

3. The combination defined in claim 1, wherein the boat is hinged at itsstem to the rear of the trailer, said mast being mountable at the rearof the trailer to one side of the boat.

4. The combination defined in claim 3, wherein said mast comprises anupright member pivotally mounted on said trailer so that it can be swungfrom its operative position to a storage position in which it isdisposed substantially parallel with the body of the trailer, said mastalso including means for bracing said upright member in its operativeposition.

5. The combination defined in claim 3, wherein said mast comprises anupright member mountable on said trailer in a substantially verticalposition, said winch being mounted on said upright member at aconvenient height for manipulation by the operator.

6. The combination defined in claim 1, wherein said boat is hinged atone side to the side of the trailer, said mast being mountable adjacentsaid one side of the boat and clear of the boat in the direction of saidpivot axis so that it does not interfere with the boat as the boat isswung sideways while being loaded and unloaded.

7. The combination defined in claim 6, wherein said boat is carried bowfirst on said trailer and said mast is mounted rearward of the stern ofthe boat.

8. The combination defined in claim 3, wherein said winch is reversibleonly upon reversing the power input thereto.

9. The combination defined in claim 4, wherein said bracing meanscomprises an elongated strut having an upper section pivoted at one endto said upright member at a point spaced from its pivotal mounting onthe trailer, said strut having a lower section pivoted at one end tosaid trailer at a point spaced from said upright member, pivot meansconnecting said upper and lower strut sections to each other ad'acenttheir ot er ends and overlapping each other when a igned,

said upright member being in its operative position when said strutsections are aligned, and means for releasably fastening said strutsections at a second point in their overlapping portions spaced fromsaid pivot means in order to lock said strut sections in alignment witheach other and to fix said upright member in its operative position.

10. The combination defined in claim 9, wherein the distance from thepoint at which said upright member is pivoted to the trailer to thepoint at which said upper strut section is pivoted to said uprightmember plus the distance from the pivot point of said upper strutsection with said upright member to said pivot means is substantiallyequal to the distance from said pivot point of said upright member withthe trailer to the pivot point of said lower brace member with thetrailer plus the distance from said pivot point of said lower bracewiththe trailer to said pivot means, such that said upright member maybe swung down so that it and said strut sections lie substantiallyparallel or flush with the body of the trailer while maintaining saidpivotal connections with each other.

11. The combination defined in claim 10, wherein said upright and strutsections comprise U-shaped channels, the inside dimensions of thechannel of said upright member and lower strut section beingsubstantially the same and large enough to receive the outsidedimensions of said upper strut section, the open side of the channels ofsaid upright member and said lower strut section facing each other suchthat said upper strut section is pivotally connected within the sideflanges of said upright member and lower strut section and is completelynested therein when in the stored position of said mast.

1. A boat and trailer combination in which the boat is carried by thetrailer in an inverted position with the boat detachably hinged to thetrailer adjacent one of its longitudinal anD transverse extremities withthe pivot axis about which the boat is hinged disposed adjacent aperipheral portion of the boat and parallel to one of its longitudinaland transverse axes, such that the boat can be swung throughsubstantially 180* between its inverted position on the trailer and anunloaded position adjacent the trailer, hoisting means for swinging theboat about said pivot axis for loading the boat onto and unloading itfrom said trailer, said hoisting means comprising in combination, a mastmountable near said pivot axis and clear of the boat in the direction ofsaid pivot axis, a winch having a hoisting line supported by said mastfor swinging the boat about said pivot axis, fastening means forattaching said hoisting line to said boat at a predetermined distancefrom said pivot axis, and guide means on said mast over which saidhoisting line is trained as it passes from said winch to said fasteningmeans on the boat, said guide means being located on said mast apredetermined distance above said pivot axis, the distances of saidfastening means and said guide means from said pivot axis being selectedsuch that adequate leverage is provided for lifting and lowering theboat about said pivot axis.
 2. The combination defined in claim 1,wherein said fastening means and said guide means are spaced atsubstantially equal distances from said pivot axis so that as the boatis pivoted from a horizontal position to a vertical position, saidfastening means on the boat passes near said guide means on said mast.3. The combination defined in claim 1, wherein the boat is hinged at itsstern to the rear of the trailer, said mast being mountable at the rearof the trailer to one side of the boat.
 4. The combination defined inclaim 3, wherein said mast comprises an upright member pivotally mountedon said trailer so that it can be swung from its operative position to astorage position in which it is disposed substantially parallel with thebody of the trailer, said mast also including means for bracing saidupright member in its operative position.
 5. The combination defined inclaim 3, wherein said mast comprises an upright member mountable on saidtrailer in a substantially vertical position, said winch being mountedon said upright member at a convenient height for manipulation by theoperator.
 6. The combination defined in claim 1, wherein said boat ishinged at one side to the side of the trailer, said mast being mountableadjacent said one side of the boat and clear of the boat in thedirection of said pivot axis so that it does not interfere with the boatas the boat is swung sideways while being loaded and unloaded.
 7. Thecombination defined in claim 6, wherein said boat is carried bow firston said trailer and said mast is mounted rearward of the stern of theboat.
 8. The combination defined in claim 3, wherein said winch isreversible only upon reversing the power input thereto.
 9. Thecombination defined in claim 4, wherein said bracing means comprises anelongated strut having an upper section pivoted at one end to saidupright member at a point spaced from its pivotal mounting on thetrailer, said strut having a lower section pivoted at one end to saidtrailer at a point spaced from said upright member, pivot meansconnecting said upper and lower strut sections to each other adjacenttheir other ends and overlapping each other when aligned, said uprightmember being in its operative position when said strut sections arealigned, and means for releasably fastening said strut sections at asecond point in their overlapping portions spaced from said pivot meansin order to lock said strut sections in alignment with each other and tofix said upright member in its operative position.
 10. The combinationdefined in claim 9, wherein the distance from the point at which saidupright member is pivoted to the trailer to the point at which saidupper strut section is pivoted to said upright member plus tHe distancefrom the pivot point of said upper strut section with said uprightmember to said pivot means is substantially equal to the distance fromsaid pivot point of said upright member with the trailer to the pivotpoint of said lower brace member with the trailer plus the distance fromsaid pivot point of said lower brace with the trailer to said pivotmeans, such that said upright member may be swung down so that it andsaid strut sections lie substantially parallel or flush with the body ofthe trailer while maintaining said pivotal connections with each other.11. The combination defined in claim 10, wherein said upright and strutsections comprise U-shaped channels, the inside dimensions of thechannel of said upright member and lower strut section beingsubstantially the same and large enough to receive the outsidedimensions of said upper strut section, the open side of the channels ofsaid upright member and said lower strut section facing each other suchthat said upper strut section is pivotally connected within the sideflanges of said upright member and lower strut section and is completelynested therein when in the stored position of said mast.